IGFA Recognise Orri’s Commitment to Conservation

There are presently 110 inductees in the International Game Fish Association’s Hall of Fame, including angling luminaries such as Charles Ritz, Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey, Gary Loomis and Lee and Joan Wulff. On September 13, four more people from the game fishing world will be joining this select fraternity in the 2016 awards, one of whom is Orri Vigfusson of the the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF).

As NASF’s founder and chairman, Orri is being recognised yet again for his outstanding contribution to Atlantic salmon conservation and already holds the IGFA’s Conservation Award (2005) and The Coldwater Conservation Award (2003). At the 18th annual ceremony he will be in the company of Tim Choate (billfish conservation), Jerry and Deborah Dunaway (big game fishing), Chico Fernandez (saltwater fly-fishing) and Dr John E. Graves (marine conservation).

Orri began his conservation efforts 25 years ago by buying up commercial salmon quotas from fishermen. Effective conservation agreements have been negotiated on both sides of the North Atlantic ever since through the work of NASF and its coalition partner organizations. These agreements currently cover 85% of the waters through which the Atlantic salmon migrates. Since the first contract was signed with commercial fishermen in the Faroe Islands in 1991, it is estimated that in excess of 10 million salmon have been saved from net and long-line fisheries throughout the North Atlantic region.

In acknowledgement of his enduring commitment, Orri has also received the Knight Orders from Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark and The Icelandic Falcon from the President of Iceland. Awards have been bestowed by Time magazine, The Economist, The American Museum of Fly Fishing and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In 2007 he was recipient of The Goldman Environmental Award in 2007 and in 2013 The French Government awarded him a knighthood order.

The IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame recognizes extraordinary achievements in recreational fishing around the world by anglers, captains, scientists, conservationists, writers, or fishing industry leaders. The first class, honoring 29 of the sport’s luminaries, was inducted in 1998. Since then, 76 additional fishing greats have been welcomed to the Hall at the annual induction ceremony each autumn. Along with the biographical video produced by the IGFA, each Hall of Fame member is honored with a plaque at the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame in Dania Beach, Florida, USA.

I was glad to be able to attend Orri Vigfusson’s funeral on behalf of ASF. It was the most...

North Atlantic Salmon Fund

The North Atlantic Salmon Fund, NASF, is an international coalition of voluntary private sector conservation groups who have come together to restore stocks of wild Atlantic salmon to their historic abundance.

NASF Campaigns

NASF's key focus is removing nets on the high seas and in coastal waters by brokering agreements. NASF also campaigns tirelessly for better regulations and salmon governance and in doing so promote land-based salmon farming, the removal of dams and bolstering spawning stocks.